Stoke: Ba deal still alive

The Demba Ba deal is still alive despite the fact that he failed a medical last week

The Hoffenheim striker was all set to join the Potters with a £6m+ fee agreed until he failed the medical amid concerns over an injury to his knee.

Stoke’s refusal to complete the deal and offer a loan contract instead appears to be an attempt by the Potters to get a reduction in the transfer price to compensate for the additional risk of Ba being sidelined in the future.

Hoffenheim have already made it very clear that Demba has burnt his bridges at the German club after his refusal to join the rest of the team at a mid-season training camp and he won’t play for them again, but Stoke run the risk of losing their man with the Germans currently touting him around the rest of the Premier League – with Sunderland their latest reported target in the wake of Darren Bent’s move to Aston Villa.